Babysitting
by Frontline
Summary: Laura is babysitting Valeria and Franklin. Afterwards, Sue invites her to stay for the weekend...


**All characters and concepts are the property of their respective creators. No copyright infringement is intended, or profit made, from this work of fiction.**

'Yes!' Franklin exclaimed, dropping his controller to the floor and turning to his sister. 'I win.'

'This time,' Valeria said, pointing to the scoreboard on the screen. 'Overall, you won 34% of the games, compared to my 37% and Laura's 29%...'

'Yeah, but I've got style,' Franklin said. 'That counts for a lot...'

'If you mean that you like to show off at every opportunity, then I agree with you...' Valerie began and Franklin glowered.

'Hey!'

'Alright,' Laura said, standing up. 'That's enough games for tonight...'

'Aw, come on, Laura,' Franklin said. 'Just one more. Please...?'

'No,' Laura said, folding her arms. 'Your parents will be home soon and you should both be in bed...'

'But...'

'Now!'

'Alright, alright,' Franklin said, getting up and shutting off the console...

###############

'Good night, Franklin,' Laura said, turning out the light and closing the door behind her. She was about to leave when she heard a faint rustle on the edge of her enhanced senses. With a sigh, she turned back and opened the door to find Franklin reading a comic by the light of a torch.

'What are you doing?' Laura asked and Franklin looked up, guiltily.

'I'm...going to sleep...'

'Good,' Laura said, taking the comic from his hands and leaving, closing the door behind her and heading down the corridor towards Valeria's room.

'Valeria?' she said, knocking on the door.

'Come in,' Valeria said and Laura opened the door to find that she was already under the covers, working on her tablet.

'What are you doing?' Laura asked.

'I'm just getting down some equations for bending space-time,' Valeria said, without looking up from her tablet. 'So I can run some simulations tomorrow...'

'Do you think they'll work?' Laura asked, sitting on the bed.

'According to my calculations, there's an 83% probability,' she said, stifling a yawn and Laura smiled, taking the tablet from her and placing it on her bedside table.

'You can show them to me in the morning,' she said, tucking her in with a smile.

'G'night, Laura...'

'Good night,' Laura said, standing up and turning the light off, closing the door behind. After quickly checking that Franklin was actually asleep, she heading for the lounge, dropping onto the couch with a groan. Picking up the remote, she flipped on the TV, sitting back to watch...

###############

'Laura?' Sue said as she eased open the door, undoing her hair from the tight bun and easing of her high heels. 'Lau...'

She stopped when she saw Laura on the couch, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling slowly. Behind her, Reed stepped through the door and she turned to him, pressing a finger to her lips.

'What is...oh,' Reed said, stopping when he saw Laura asleep on the couch. 'I see. I'll go and check on Franklin and Valeria...' He left the room and Sue turned back to Laura.

'Laura,' she said, softly and she opened her eyes.

'Mrs Richards,' Laura said, and Sue smiled.

'I'm sorry we're late back,' she said. 'Did they give you any trouble?'

'No. They are both asleep.' she said, coming to her feet. 'I will go, now...'

'Wait a minute, Laura,' Sue said. 'It's late. You can stay here, if you like...'

'Mrs Richards...'

'It's the least we can do. Besides, Franklin and Val would love to spend some more time with you..'

'...alright...'

'Good. Come on. I'll show you to your room...'

###############

Laura had just finished changing into the nightshirt that Sue had given her when there was a knock at the door.

'Yes?' Laura said and Sue opened the door, stepping inside. 'I've brought you some hot chocolate...'

'Thank you...'

'Thank you for looking after Valeria and Franklin,' Sue said, placing the mug on the table next to the bed. 'Anyway, I'll let you get some sleep. Good night, Laura...'

'Good night...'

###############

Laura eyes snapped open as she heard footsteps approaching and she sat up, extending her claws, just at there was a knock at the door.

'Laura?' Sue asked. 'Are you awake?'

'Yes, Mrs Richards,' Laura said, sheathing her claws as Sue opened the door.

'Morning,' Sue said. 'I've brought you some coffee. Did you sleep well?'

'Yes. Thank you...'

'Good. Breakfast will be a few minutes, so you've got time to have a shower, if you want...'

###############

Laura stepped out of the shower, towelling off her hair as she headed back into the bedroom. A quick search of the drawers under the bed revealed a fresh pair of trousers and a t-shirt. Struggling into them, Laura left the room and headed towards the kitchen. As she drew closer, she could smell pancakes and she felt her stomach rumbling. Stepping into the kitchen, she stopped in the doorway. Seated around the kitchen table were Dr Richards and Ben Grimm, as well as Valeria and Franklin.

'Laura!' Val said, jumping from her seat and running over to her, wrapping her in a hug.

'Hello,' Laura said, just as Sue entered carrying a stack of plates.

'Breakfast's ready,' she said. 'Val, sit down, please...'

Valeria returned to her seat, but Laura hesitated in the doorway.

'Come on, Laura,' Sue said, gesturing to the empty seat next to Val. 'There's plenty to go around...'

'...very well,' Laura said, sitting down as Sue passed her a plate of pancakes.

'Are you staying for the weekend?' Val asked. 'Can we play after breakfast...?'

'After you've done your chores,' Sue said and Val pouted, as Laura started eating her pancakes.

'Mom...'

'Don't "Mom" me, Valeria. You'll have plenty of time to play with Laura afterwards...'

'Thank you for the food,' Laura said, pushing back her empty plate and standing up. 'Please excuse me...'

###############

'Laura?' Sue said, knocking on the door of her room. 'May I come in?'

'Yes..'

'Are you okay?' Sue asked as she stepped inside, closing the door behind.

'Yes,' Laura said from where she was sitting on the bed. 'I'm fine. I am...sorry for leaving...'

'I should be apologising to you,' Sue said, sitting down on the bed next to her. 'I should have thought about how you would feel. Families can be overwhelming at the best of times...'

'It is not that,' Laura said. 'I have been alone for as long as I can remember. Maybe that is all I can ever be...'

'That's not true, honey,' Sue said, putting an arm around her shoulders. 'You're part of our family now and you'll always have a place here...'

'Mrs Richards,' Laura said and Sue stood up. 'Come on. Valeria should be done with her chores by now...'

Putting her hand on the small of her back, she guided her out of the room.

 **Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.**


End file.
